SL-Class (R129) 1990-2002: SL 280, SL 300, SL 320, SL 500, SL 600, SL 60 AMG

SL/R129: Horsepower ratings on Euro VS U.S.

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Old Dec 23, 2005 | 01:54 AM
  #1  
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From: Surrey, B.C, Canada.
1990 500SL / 1989 560 SEC
Horsepower ratings on Euro VS U.S.

I know the U.S spec cars run about 302HP. What are the Euro cars rated at?

My car is a 1990 500SL with AMG body kit. Imported from Japan. I don't think it has any engine mods because it all looks pretty stock, and the exhaust is stock as well.

But, the reason why I'm asking is because the car really huals some serious ***. I smoked my buddies 2004 M3 6 spd on the HWY. neck and neck until we hit about 160KM and than I would pull hard about 6 car lenths up to 220KM.

The car doesn't feel like it should be running mid 14's stock.
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Old Dec 23, 2005 | 02:14 AM
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Originally Posted by GTR John
I know the U.S spec cars run about 302HP. What are the Euro cars rated at?

My car is a 1990 500SL with AMG body kit. Imported from Japan. I don't think it has any engine mods because it all looks pretty stock, and the exhaust is stock as well.

But, the reason why I'm asking is because the car really huals some serious ***. I smoked my buddies 2004 M3 6 spd on the HWY. neck and neck until we hit about 160KM and than I would pull hard about 6 car lenths up to 220KM.

The car doesn't feel like it should be running mid 14's stock.
for 1990 500SL........stock 326hp........
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Old Dec 23, 2005 | 11:00 AM
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Is the M3 a convertible???
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Old Dec 23, 2005 | 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Lincoln
Is the M3 a convertible???

Nope. hardtop. I thought he wasn't ripping it but I had to ask him just to be sure.

His first reaction when he jumped out of his car was , "How much Power does that thing have!?" lol

Was a nice feeling. The car looks pretty well stock as afar as performance mods go. It onl yhas 110,000KM.

So, 326HP Euro and 302HP U.S. Nice. Thanx guys.

I also have a 1990 911 Carrera 4 and my 500SL is neck and neck with it. Thats also a Euro car.
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Old Dec 23, 2005 | 02:03 PM
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Originally Posted by GTR John
Nope. hardtop. I thought he wasn't ripping it but I had to ask him just to be sure.

His first reaction when he jumped out of his car was , "How much Power does that thing have!?" lol

Was a nice feeling. The car looks pretty well stock as afar as performance mods go. It onl yhas 110,000KM.

So, 326HP Euro and 302HP U.S. Nice. Thanx guys.

I also have a 1990 911 Carrera 4 and my 500SL is neck and neck with it. Thats also a Euro car.

Actually, you need to compare 326hp to the older (pre-1998) HP rating for the US of 315. 11hp is mostly a conversion difference when going from DIN to SAE.

There is something wrong with your friend's M3 or he doesn't know how to extract the power or your car is not stock. The M3 should kill the SL500 off the line and beat it (barely) at speed, not the other way around. My SL (315hp) feels very quick but I know for a fact it's slower at every speed then my M3, M5 and CLK55 were.
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Old Dec 23, 2005 | 11:59 PM
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a 6sp M3 with an ok driver will be very very slow. i have raced them in my friends SMG M3 and will smoke them.

mark
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Old Dec 24, 2005 | 12:42 AM
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1990 500SL / 1989 560 SEC
It was from a roll and we did it multiple times. All with the same outcome.

I walked my buddies G35 as well. But, we didn't even get up past 100 or else I think it would have been slaughter. lol

Yeah, the car feels very very strong.

We would start at about 130 side by side and I even let him punch it a split second before me. As soon as we would get up to about 160 I would start walkign him and by 200 it gets even worse.

The car looks stock. I need to drive US spec 500SL.
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Old Dec 24, 2005 | 03:25 AM
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why do everybody think the R129 is slow..... .....I beat an E55 (w211) with no problem...... ...beating an 04 M3 is very easy... ....the best motor on the R129 would be in the year of 1989-1992...... .... You said you got your car from Japan...??...You might own an 600SL V8 AMG which is 6 liter motor...... ...the output is 389hp and 440tq :v
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Old Dec 24, 2005 | 07:33 AM
  #9  
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From: Surrey, B.C, Canada.
1990 500SL / 1989 560 SEC
Originally Posted by SL BRABUS
why do everybody think the R129 is slow..... .....I beat an E55 (w211) with no problem...... ...beating an 04 M3 is very easy... ....the best motor on the R129 would be in the year of 1989-1992...... .... You said you got your car from Japan...??...You might own an 600SL V8 AMG which is 6 liter motor...... ...the output is 389hp and 440tq :v
This car definetly doesn't feel slow. It's registered as a 500SL. There actually was a 600SL V8? Is that the same V8 in the SEC cars? I have a Euro 560 SEC as well. I would love to get a 560 SEC wit ha 6.0.
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Old Dec 24, 2005 | 12:08 PM
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Originally Posted by GTR John
This car definetly doesn't feel slow. It's registered as a 500SL. There actually was a 600SL V8? Is that the same V8 in the SEC cars? I have a Euro 560 SEC as well. I would love to get a 560 SEC wit ha 6.0.

it was called the SL60.
it was a 6L V8

marek
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 12:54 AM
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Originally Posted by RedMongoosE
it was called the SL60.
it was a 6L V8

marek
I'm ugessing the car was ridiculously rare. Nice.
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 03:58 AM
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Originally Posted by GTR John
I'm ugessing the car was ridiculously rare. Nice.
...but not as rare as you think - a few hundred cars were built from 1992-1998.

The SL73 (7.3L AMG V12) was much rarer (<100 cars built).
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 05:55 AM
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Originally Posted by boborola
...but not as rare as you think - a few hundred cars were built from 1992-1998.

The SL73 (7.3L AMG V12) was much rarer (<100 cars built).

Holy crap! 7.3L V12!? Never even heard of that! Whats the HP/Torque figures on that thing!?

Last edited by GTR John; Dec 25, 2005 at 05:58 AM.
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 03:11 PM
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a more rare car was the SL74 RennTech.
almost 600hp from a N/A angine.

0-60high 3s

mark
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 04:59 PM
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Originally Posted by GTR John
Holy crap! 7.3L V12!? Never even heard of that! Whats the HP/Torque figures on that thing!?
Technical Data of this official AMG-Vehicle based on the SL600, built by the AMG-"Manufaktur" Department on special order:
7,3L V12 (7291ccm)
525 HP
Torque 750Nm
V-max artificially limited to 300km/h (188mph) because of wheel speed limit

...one of those is just parking in my garage - a former CEO car of AMG, Affalterbach, Germany


I would not swap my car with a Renntech 7.4 or something else (Brabus, Carlsson) - the HP-Figures are often very optimistical on these cars, they have no support on these cars by Mercedes-Benz and so on...
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Old Dec 25, 2005 | 06:16 PM
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Depending on vehicle application horsepower slightly over 600, torque slightly over 550 or 560.
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 06:27 AM
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R129 500
The 7.3L V12 is now fitted on the New Zonda Pugani.
See how fast is the Zonda now. Thats how good the engine is ...

The 500SL Up to 1993 which has a normal injection system (non electronic) has more Hp that the new models, its even faster than the new SL500 R230..
Even at high speed acceleration, it performes very well. I think that its performance at high speed is good due to the 4 speed Transmission. The Later models of R125 has 5 Speed...



Originally Posted by boborola
Technical Data of this official AMG-Vehicle based on the SL600, built by the AMG-"Manufaktur" Department on special order:
7,3L V12 (7291ccm)
525 HP
Torque 750Nm
V-max artificially limited to 300km/h (188mph) because of wheel speed limit

...one of those is just parking in my garage - a former CEO car of AMG, Affalterbach, Germany


I would not swap my car with a Renntech 7.4 or something else (Brabus, Carlsson) - the HP-Figures are often very optimistical on these cars, they have no support on these cars by Mercedes-Benz and so on...
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Old Dec 26, 2005 | 08:53 PM
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Originally Posted by eabul
The 7.3L V12 is now fitted on the New Zonda Pugani.
See how fast is the Zonda now. Thats how good the engine is ...

The 500SL Up to 1993 which has a normal injection system (non electronic) has more Hp that the new models, its even faster than the new SL500 R230..
Even at high speed acceleration, it performes very well. I think that its performance at high speed is good due to the 4 speed Transmission. The Later models of R125 has 5 Speed...
The homeboy know what he talking about.......
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Old Dec 27, 2005 | 09:29 AM
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When i first bought my wife the 95 Sl500 I didn't know they were fast cars. Just that it was her favorit car in the world. But I learned quickley just how fast of a roadster this thing was.

I race Corvettes, mostly SCCA stuff but we do a lot of drag stuff as well. Been in a Lot of fast cars. And I am simply AMAZED by the performance her SL500 puts out. Especially at speeds above 80 mph. Given the alignments and such I'd rather be in her SL500 then in my C5 corvette at speeds above 140 mph.


Oh, and about the M3 comparison--- It cracks me up how everyone presumes that all cars will perform as well as their magazines say they will. Or that all drivers will be about the same. I/we kill all kinds of cars that we shouldn't be able to on a reg basis. It's just part of life.
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